London – Portrait of Mahatma Gandhi by Clare Leighton (British, 1898-1989), thought to be the only oil portrait that Gandhi actually sat for, leads Bonhams Travel and Exploration sale, which will run from 7-15 July online on bonhams.com. The painting, which has never before been offered at auction, has an estimate of £50,000 - 70,000.

Artist Clare Leighton was introduced to Mahatma Gandhi when he visited London in 1931 to attend the Second Round Table Conference. At the time, Leighton was in a relationship with the political journalist Henry Noel Brailsford. A passionate supporter of Indian independence, Brailsford had travelled to the country in 1930, later publishing the book Rebel India in support of the cause the year he first met Gandhi at the Round Table Conference. It was through this connection that Leighton was introduced to Gandhi. She was one of the very few artists admitted to his office and was given the opportunity to sit with him on multiple occasions to sketch and paint his likeness.

Rhyanon Demery, Bonhams Head of Sale, commented: "Not only is this a rare work by Clare Leighton, who is mainly known for her wood engravings, it is also thought to be the only oil painting of Mahatma Gandhi which he sat for. The work remained in the artist's collection until her death in 1989, after which it was passed down through her family, and so Bonhams is delighted to be offering this rare portrait for the first time at auction."

In November of 1931 Clare Leighton showcased her portraits of Gandhi in an exhibition at the Albany Galleries in London. Journalist Winifred Holtby attended the opening and wrote about the event in her column for the trade union magazine The Schoolmistress, stating; "'Members of Parliament and ex-Members, artists, journalists and art critics, stood among exquisite Indian women in bright saris, and the dignified figures of some of the chief Hindu representatives at the Conference. Mrs Naidu, the statesman-poet, was there... and Sir Purshotamdas Thakurdas, one of the Mahatma's colleagues." Gandhi himself did not attend the party, but it was noted that he was vitally present in the works on display, which included the portrait of him in oil.

Describing the painting in more detail, Holtby wrote: "The little man squats bare-headed, in his blanket, one finger raised, as it often is to emphasise a point, his lips parted for a word that is almost a smile. That is very much as I saw him when he came as guest to a big luncheon in Westminster at which I was present a little while ago. He was the political leader there, the subtle negotiator, the manipulator of Congress, the brilliant lawyer, the statesman who knows just how to play on the psychology of friends and enemies alike."

The following month Gandhi's personal secretary, Mohadev Desai, wrote a letter to Leighton, a copy of which is attached to the backing board, reading: "It was such a pleasure to have had you here for many mornings doing Mr Gandhi's portrait. I am sorry I didn't see the final result, but many of my friends who saw it in the Albany Gallery said to me that it was a good likeness. I am quite sure Mr Gandhi has no objection to its being reproduced."

There does not appear to be any record of Leighton's oil portrait of Gandhi being exhibited again until 1978, when the Boston Public Library staged an exhibition of Leighton's work. However, according to the artist's family, the portrait was thought to have been on public display in 1974 when it was attacked with a knife by an R.S.S. activist. A label attached to the backing board confirms that the painting was restored in 1974 by the Lyman Allyn Museum Conservation Laboratory.

Clare Leighton, (1898 – 1989) was an English American artist, writer and illustrator. Born in London, she was the daughter of Robert Leighton and Marie Connor Leighton, both authors. Clare lived her early life in the shadow of her older brother, Roland, her mother's favourite, who was killed in action in 1915, and immortalized in Vera Brittain's memoir, Testament of Youth. Her early efforts at painting were encouraged by her uncle Jack Leighton, an artist and illustrator, and in 1915, Leighton began formal studies at the Brighton College of Art, later training at the Slade School of Fine Art (1921–1923), and the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where she studied wood engraving under Noel Rooke.

Leighton wrote and illustrated numerous books praising the virtues of the countryside and the people who worked the land. Her 1932 book on wood-engraving played an important part in popularizing the medium. Amongst her other achievements were her 1938 poster design for London Transport promoting weekend walks, her 1950s designs Wedgwood plates, and several stained-glass windows for churches in New England.

Clare Leighton met the radical journalist H. N. Brailsford in 1928, and they lived together for several years. Though he was separated from his wife, she refused him a divorce. When Brailsford's wife died in 1937 he suffered an emotional breakdown, which caused the collapse of his relationship with Leighton, who left for a new life in the US in 1939.

5 June 2025